I’m about to totally date myself, but… one of my earliest childhood memories involves a visit to a “real artist’s studio”. This “real artist” was a good friend of my mom’s {my mom is an amazing painter, btw}, and she had a loom… because it was 1978! I remember working for hours and hours on my very own tapestry. My parents had that terrible weaving on their wall for years. Well, after seeing this work by Melbourne, now New York based, artist Maryanne Moodie I so badly want a do-over! She has taken this stereotypically 1970’s art form and so beautifully modernized it with her use of bold geometrics, and unbelievable color choices.

Maryanne has a website, but I also follow her on Instagram, which is where I found all of these fantastic images. I love that there are finished pieces, works in progress, and colorful supplies fresh from the yarn shop! Gorgeous, and oh, so inspiring. Ok, Mom… get the loom. I think I feel another tapestry coming on.

Je t’aime… mushroom terrariums, and perfect petals. So, so gorgeous. These little bits of nature, in textile form, are the work of Paris based textile designer/artist Lyndie Dourthe. Delicate, whimsical, and beautifully made. I know this sounds greedy, but I really truly want all of these beauties… yes, even those poisonous mushrooms. It’s ok. They’re under glass.

I have to say, I don’t think these photos do this pop-up book, by Stockholm based artist Hale Güngör Oppenheimer, justice. I wish I could hold it, flip through it, have a really close look… which I’m quite sure would then inspire me to attempt my own little pop-up house! Thick white paper, found bits n’ pieces, paint and patterns. So creative, and oh so fun! {that washy water reflecting through the photographic jug on the last page… oh, so lovely!}

ps. this work will be in a show that opens on February 15th in Istanbul, at Pg Art Gallery

You were the first year that I really gave my own artwork a shot… even if I resisted. A lot.

You were the year I spent settling into a new town, and home, with my amazing husband and super sweet little boy. We had twelve months of adventure ~ making new friends, swimming in the lake, fishing, jumping off docks, and eating more ice cream than three people should ever consume.

You were also the one that introduced me to so many lovely new friends {like Stephanie, Emily H,Ginny, Leah, Emily L, Samantha, Mark, Alyson, Melinda, & Diana}, and gave me time to visit with some really wonderful old friends {Autumn, Kathleen, Jessica, Mary-Jo, Janette, Melanie, Meleny, Christy, Janna & Jason, Kira … love you guys!}. AND there are so many more of you who I plan to catch up with in 2014… I’m talking to you Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Vancouver friends! I might even make my way to Paris and London {fingers crossed!}

And finally, you did a pretty good job of teaching me how to slow down, so that I could truly enjoy everything along the way. Thanks. I needed that!

So, with that I’ll say bye bye, 2013. I can’t wait to meet your pal, 2014… I’m pretty excited to see what she’s got in store for all of us.

~ danielle xo

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you have an amazing, fun, safe night tonight! Thank you so much for being part of my little world, I appreciate it more than I could ever put into words.

Now, if this is not the best way to start a Monday, I just don’t know what is! Milwaukee based artist Molly Evans, aka #LionelStitchie, made me feel like I was dancin’ on the ceiling when I saw this bright yellow stitching on forgotten furniture. Here’s how it all started:

“During the Summer of 2013 I set out on a mission to entertain my (somewhat grumpy) neighbor with an outdoor embroidery project on their discarded sofa that would make the seemingly unlovable couch more lovable. Weeks had gone by without a single bite; no one wanted that sad brown three-seater. I gave it a voice. More specifically, I gave it Lionel Richie’s lovable voice, and the rest is history.”

None of these photographs are currently for sale, but Molly has a suggestion for that… “What can you do with all that extra money burning a hole in your pocket? Why not donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a cause near and dear to Mr.Richie” – So awesome!

{…thank you to the lovely and talented American photographer Amber Mahoney for sending me a link to this hilarious work!}

Ok, another day and a few more artists whose work is hanging at The Fig House for Thursday’s opening! These are the abstract pieces in the group. First Up… the tangly drawings, and bold paintings of San Diego based artist Jaime Derringer:

Ah, a lovely compliment to the dark teal walls! And finally, these abstracts are not drawings or paintings. Nope, they’re the colorful, flowing, thread pieces of LA based artist Nike Schroeder:

That first piece is actually an instagram that Emily Henderson took after Nike’s work was installed. GORGEOUS. Ok, three more of our Fig artists coming at you early tomorrow morning {and then I board the plane for LA!!!}

*Note: Not all of the pieces shown here are hanging at Fig… some of them were created especially for the space and haven’t been photographed by the artist yet. Oooh, fresh art!

I hate snakes, so so so so much… but not this snake! I absolutely, crazy LOVE this snake!

Oh, Rachel Denny. I’ve loved her work for years… and she just keeps getting better! Mirrored snakes, howling wolves, waxy woodpeckers, and of course, her signature deer heads! What I love almost as much as her final pieces, is the glimpse that she gives into her Portland home studio. Boy oh boy, I’d love to spend a day in there with her just makin’ stuff! Well, last year I did the next best thing… I got Rachel to make stuff for me! Yep, I bought a hot pink, cashmere doe to hang above my fireplace. Her name is Rosie, and I love her very very very much:

ps. Rachel is one of the artists featured in CREATIVE BLOCK. Her work looks amazing as a full page spread, and her interview is fantastic!

I write about embroidery and crochet a lot, mainly for two reasons. No.1, I am in complete awe of anyone that can master these techniques. No.2, I absolutely love it when an artist is able to push this once “craft-only” medium into the world of fine art. Well, not only did New York based artist Nathan Vincent do that, he also managed to cross a few gender roles along the way… are these not the most masculine doilies that you’ve ever seen? And, if the tighty-whities aren’t “man” enough for you, how ’bout these bad boys:

I don’t even know what to write… this has been hush-hush for so long… but finally, I can tell you all of the ins & outs of my book that has just been released by Chronicle Books {available in stores all over the world?!!} Let’s start with the title. It’s called CREATIVE BLOCK, and here’s what it looks like (an instagram taken with my very old phone, but you get the idea):

*The cover was designed by Dinah Fried at Chronicle, and then painted by Toronto based artist Amanda Happé. I love it so much and am proud to have had such talented people working on this project.

SO, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT:

I came up with the idea for CREATIVE BLOCK for myself, just as much as for all of you. I wanted to make something beautiful – a contemporary art book filled not only with inspiring images, but also inspiring words, advice, and tips to help amateurs and professionals alike, find their way through those days when the ideas just won’t come. Because everyone who dabbles in something creative feels that way at some point – right? Right. I wanted to write this book to show you that if you’re feeling this way you’re not alone either. I’ve written hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of posts about successful, working artists who seem to have this whole “creative thing” figured out. But surely they have blocks from time to time? How do they get through them? Where do they find fresh inspiration? How do they handle negative feedback? Does it stop them in their tracks? Now, these full time artists don’t have the luxury of not finishing, or giving up on a project – not when they’ve got a gallery or art buyer waiting on them! So how do they push themselves through those moments when the ideas just aren’t there? Or when the ideas are there, but their hands or materials will not cooperate.

THE ARTISTS:

Finally! I’m thrilled to reveal the list of 50 amazingly open, honest, witty, thoughtful, funny, talented artists that allowed me to interview them about their own creative blocks, insecurities, and inner-critics. Not only did they give us a candid view into their creative process, but each of them wrote a “creative unblock exercise” to help shake us out of our own blocks. Amazing? YES!

Gah! Almost 300 pages of stunning contemporary artwork, insightful advice, and creative-unblocking tips. It’s soooo good, all thanks to that amazing list of people who have been such a huge inspiration to me. I’ll hope, actually I know, they’ll inspire you too!

WHEN & WHERE:

The book is now on shelves, all over the world, as of March 2014, and online via GREAT.LY, Chronicle Books, and all of the other usual suspects. Check the side bar for upcoming book signing events! See you there!

Oh boy. Scarves covered in dogs, cats, and random forest creatures. LOVE! This is the work of Paris based artist Nathalie Lété… but these are seriously just the tip of a gigantic iceberg of amazing, bizarre, fantastic stuff! For example, if dog scarves aren’t your thing, could I interest you in this?